There Are Pretenders Among Us
By: Rising Sun – [email protected]
All disclaimers in place.
Author’s Note: This was to have been part of The Lost Pretender saga, but didn’t make mustard. Even if it were no more I thought I’d post any way.
The Unfolding Story is at http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1114488
The Center
Blue Cove, Delaware
T |
he man exhumed confidence. After all this was his
domain. The Computer Technician strode into the ultra security lab with the
self-assurance of a person in their realm and there was no one to challenge him
to that.
His fingers flew over the keys in a well-worn
dance. The security images for the day
flashed across the computer screen. Every now and then an image caught his eye,
he'd pause listen, look and move on. Then he saw Raines and Lyle
"Lyle, has she seen the security feed
when Jarod showed up?" Raines asked.
His interest peaked he zoomed in.
"Take a look." Raines put the
security disk in the player.
"I don't have time to look at home movies
of Jarod... I see Jarod and Sydney. Ok so Jarod came here to see his surrogate
father big deal."
"Keep watching," he wheezed.
The Tech's fingers flew and an image of Jarod
and Sarah came into focus. They were in SL101. He did a double take. 101? Just
how deep did this place run? The pair
were searching – but for what?
Lyle hissed. "She was here?" He
looked at Raines, bewildered.
"Both Sarah and Jarod were right under
our hands. They both got away."
"Why was Sarah here?''
The man watching the screen really wasn't
interested in Lyle and his concerns he was however interested in Jarod and his
friend. Jarod, he knew… but this Sarah was a new carrot in the soup.
He rode the wheeled chair to an adjoining
screen. Again with practiced ease his
fingers typed commands into the computer. The machine complied – it threw up a
picture and a short but bio as only the center could create.
First Name: Sarah
Last name: Classified
Date of Birth: Classified
Post: Sweeper
Negotiating Skill: Deadly
Center Status: Wanted Dead or Alive
He chuckled Negotiating Skill: Deadly what
they really meant was that she was a killer. What he wondered was, just how
deep was her Center training? A memory refocused his attention. He replayed a section of the security disc.
"Or Cory is still missing." A smirk
came over Lyle's face. "She doesn't have her yet."
Raines cautioned. "Don't look so happy.
Jarod probably knows about Cory now. If he does, than he'll know she was here
and what we did to her. Jarod will want revenge."
Cory, Cory. He searched is brain. The name was
not familiar. Turning to a third computer he began cross-referencing every
database of relevance, using the variables of Jarod, Sarah, Cory and Lyle. As
he waited the cleaner walked in.
"Get out." He ordered coldly, not
bothering to look up.
The cleaner turned on her heel and retraced
her steps.
She was used to him and all that haunted these
halls. Cleaner? Ha!! All she ever
managed to do was mop the hall and the elevator floor. If not for the money
she'd have quit long ago. As it was the money was obscene in its amount and she
did minimal work for it. Here she was already done for the night. She was going
home to her husband and assuming he wasn't watching the game maybe they'd play
a game of strip poker first.
She had no difficulty in leaving the cold fish
with his machines.
The "cold fish" leaned forward as
what he wanted popped up.
First Name: Cory
Last name: Classified
Date of Birth: Classified
Post: Pretender
Negotiating Skill: Jarod Level
Center Status: Wanted ALIVE
The man gaped. Jarod level? There was another
out there with such potential? He returned to the disc again and hit play.
… what we did to her
He rewound and played again.
… what we did to her
He played it again
… what we did to her
And again
… what we did to her
And again.
… what we did to her
What did they do to her? Again he called on
the power of the computer to answer his question. Now that he knew where to
look he had no problem in getting his answer.
Tears streamed down his face. He'd worked at
the Center for years. The place was cold but how cold he never knew.
He corrected the slip of emotion and
focused. Decisions were needed. He
changed the program on the computer and began as series of commands. Ten
minutes of unremitting coding and he was ready. If traced it would show that
the email had come from a monastery in Tibet. He attached the information in a
zipped file and hit send under the username "There are Pretenders Among
Us"
Done for the night he stood.
With every step he took towards the door he
morphed into another character. Finally he stepped though the door and showed
the world the face he wanted them to see.
"Brootes!" Parker snapped.
The sudden call of his name made him start.
"Yes?" He stuttered.
In the mean time the email winged its way
around the globe.
~*~ 30 ~*~